Jefferson County Commission District 2 Candidates Discuss Runoff

by Venton Blandin

Two candidates have five days to convince voters in Jefferson County they should be on the county commission.Current commissioner Sandra Little Brown is trying to fend off former commissioner Sheila Smoot, and each candidate talked to ABC 33/40's Venton Blandin about the race.In the final weekend before the runoff, both women, who are no strangers to politics, are not wasting any time trying to urge voters to fill in the space beside their names."She's a reporter and I am a servant," Brown said. "She goes to find issues. I deal with issues. I solve them. She keeps issues ongoing." Smoot, who used to sit on the commission, said her opponent must be unseated."I think she has systematically taken Jefferson County District 2 down a dark path of almost no return," Smoot said. "We have to stop her." Both Brown and Smoot are eager for another chance to serve the people who live in the state's most populated county."I'm running on a platform of inclusion, honesty, integrity and economic development," Brown said.Smoot wants to get the attention of those hoping to revive Cooper Green Mercy Hospital."You can't go to a doctor here at night," Smoot said. "You can't get a hospital bed at night. People are suffering and dying. This is my platform:{} to get Cooper Green Hospital back on track."Smoot counts more than 70 endorsements to help put her name in the winner's column."It's not for me. It's really for them to get someone in place that will help service their needs. You can't get those kind of endorsements across the board," she added.Brown, who got a key endorsement from Congresswoman Terri Sewell, remains focused on the votes and believes the people who put her on the commission in 2010 will do it again in 2014."Get the vote out and make sure people know it is just as important to vote in the run-off as it was in the primary," Brown said.